Inspiring Passion
by GreenStar13
Summary: Slowly sinking into the path of what would become his fate, a weak and aspiring young kunoichi finds her way into his life, causing a stir in his chest that inspired a passion he never thought would have exsisted...
1. Prolouge

**I had an epic and awesome idea, cause I'm having a very disturbing and freaky Sasori phase now. Last month it was Kakuzu, so understand that horrible pain. I'm absolutely DREADING the Hidan and Orochimaru phase *shudder* Well, try this on for size of what Sasori might be like now if he found a reason to stay in Suna and be human and not go all necro crazy with corpses like he did, basically making him who he became that eventually got his puppet ass owned by Sakura and Chiyo. I do not own Naruto, but I own my character, she is awesome! O.O I should lay of the soda for a while... -.-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

* * *

><p>My life was always a gloom of uncertainty and bitter weakness. All my years of being a kunoichi for Sunagakure, hadn't paid off, not in the least. I desired power, the ability to transfer my passion for my simple wooden puppets into a weapon, to become what my long line of civilian family members never were; true shinobi. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to find a way to fight back when I needed to win. Like now, for instance...<p>

"You stupid pathetic excuse of a shinobi. You don't deserve our title!"

"You don't belong with the tough crowd, get lost little girl!"

"Yeah, go back to your sad excuses of puppets and playing with flowers!"

I couldn't even move, they had me pinned down...

Every time I came to the training grounds, and they saw me, they beat me until I dropped, than left. It became a weekly to daily routine I always faced. I could never fight back. It wouldn't have done me any good anyway...

I was the weaker one in those battles. I had been since I was eight years old and joined the Ninja Academy, the only female of my class, besides one other, who was strong enough to become a Chunin by then and not have to worry about those cruel beatings for being weak...

I am Kentarou Natsumi. And this beating may very well have been my last if I didn't get away soon. But how can one run away when they're to the point where they can't even see straight anymore?

I wouldn't have lasted much longer...

If _he_ hadn't come along, that is.

Truth be told, I've never been more afraid of anyone in my life. One would think me skittish, due to my many years of sustained abuse from monstrous Shinobi, but I was quite the opposite. I was impulsive, yet practical. Apathetic, yet empathetic. I could go on for hours of everything I _used _to be, but this story is one that should be told, only to understand who I once was.

A weak and simple girl.

Who changed a man who once thought emotions were impossible.

Goodness, how he was wrong...

* * *

><p><strong>I am REALLY looking forward to writing this, I really am. It may be more dramatic and detailed than most of my other stories, but come on; It's about Sasori. Guy doesn't do much besides drama and details... Well, first chapter will be posted soon, hope this got you hooked to wanting to know more.<strong>


	2. Unsettling

**As promised, here is the recently and quickly made first chapter^^ I put a hell of a lot of effort into it, so bear with me, people. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Still wish I did though...**

* * *

><p><strong>Unsettling<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Please... Make it stop... Just make it stop... <em>

The pain that seared through my entire being was almost unbearable. Sharp pinpoints of pain where I'd been struck throbbed and stung with an ache that threatened to make me black out. I flinched, feeling another blow land on my sides. Someone jerked their foot at full speed at my bruised ribs, making the breath I had tried to suck into my air deprived lungs catch in my throat.

They weren't done. They were never done.

I just wished it would end and I could crawl away with my non-existent dignity and curl up in an alley and cry until I hurt too much to weep in self-pity. No sympathy, no easy breaks. The only breaks I would receive were the one's of my bones snapping under their cruel hits and kicks.

_Somebody just kill me now... Please just put me out of my misery... _

"Such a weak and pathetic girl..."

Now it would seem death is taunting me. I couldn't care less anymore, so long as I don't have to feel anymore.

"Also a stupid and clueless girl, it would seem."

I groaned, forcing my body to move, shifting towards the voice. I could feel my heart pounding, rushing blood into my ears. My eyelids burned as I fluttered them open weakly in a vain attempt to glare at death for mocking me. "So it seems you have finally decided to come to, weak girl."

A faint light blinded my eyes as I looked up at what was in fact not death. No, death would seem like peace to me now, but this was hell of the worst degree. "It's not polite to ogle, girl." He muttered, breathing warm breath into my face as he pressed a cool cloth onto my forehead, dabbing away the dirt and blood from my earlier beating gently.

"Y-You're..." I croaked out in a dry voice, my throat feeling on fire from blinding thirst. He chuckled and reached across me, bringing a chilling cold cup to my lips. He tilted my chin back as water spilled into my mouth and down my throat, a cough emitted from me only twice as I tried not to drown on the icy liquid. "T-Thank you..." I whispered, not daring to raise my voice for fear of my throat catching fire once again. He let out another short chuckle and brushed my dirtied chestnut hair out of my eyes, running the moist cloth over my cheek.

"There. Much better. A true work of art, you are..." He breathed over me, sending chills running down my spine. Art. How this man, this disturbingly flawless and poisonous man, sends pricks of fear throughout my body. Sasori, the greatest puppet master and craftsman of our village, is sitting beside me, tending to _my_ injuries like a motherly figure would. It was an unsettling feeling.

* * *

><p><strong>I realize this is quite short, but that's how I plan on making all the chapters. I also plan on updating them from Sunday to Tuesday every week. It may be a total of 20 to 30 chapters altogether, with a different emotions or feeling for each chapter name. Hope it turns out to be good in the end^^<strong>


	3. Ominous

**And here it is, chapter 2, only it's put down as chapter 3 and yeah... It irritates me too. So to stop here, I'll just get along with this story and be happy it turned it as well as the last chapter did.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. (Although I do own a shirt with him on it, tehe^^)**

* * *

><p><strong>Ominous<strong>

* * *

><p>I shifted uncomfortably, swallowing the burning ache in my throat as he watched the uneasiness pass over my face. The corner of his mouth turned up in a slight grin, followed by a light chuckle, a seemingly unnatural display of a childish attitude, making me blink. "Why did you help me..."<p>

"Sasori. Call me Sasori."

"Alright, uhm, then why did you help me, Sasori-san-" He cut me off, shaking his head lightly. "No. _Just _Sasori."

A faint trickle of pink-tinted my cheeks, as I lowered my gaze from his piercing and rather amused one. "Why did you help me... Sasori..." I asked quietly, making sure to keep my voice as even as possible. He tapped his index finger lightly on his chin and gazed at the wall behind me in thought before letting his gaze rest back down on me, an unreadable expression on his face. "I do not particularly know right off-hand... Maybe it's because I wanted to kill you myself, or a moment of pity on your behalf, don't overlook my motives, girl. Just count yourself lucky and leave it at that." He answered, a small glint flashing quickly through his hazel eyes.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and raised my head, a mildly surprised look crossed his face when a radiant and grateful smile graced my pale lips. "Then thank-you, Sasori. I owe you my life and will find a way to repay you, whether you like it or not, so don't complain and just accept it."

A daring bout of teasing and smugness found its way into my words as I took in my surroundings, a small gasp escaping my lips. "But this... this is my room... How on earth did you know where I lived?" I inquired suspiciously, making sure to keep a good amount of distance between him and I.

I could not trust him. Not at all. After seeing what he had done to his opponents in our academy's training courses, one could only hope that the person unfortunate enough to be put up against him, did not suffer from lifetime trauma and blood poisoning of the greatest degree. My fortunate luck had never pitted me against such an opponent, not that I would have won against a less vicious and chilling opponent, either way.

But despite those memories of the chilling dark and ominous redhead sitting beside me on the edge of my bed, I couldn't help but feel a type of passionate tenderness about him from the way he had brushed the hair out of my face so neatly and softly earlier. Almost as if dealing with a delicate and fragile doll. That, of course, didn't surprise me in the least. Of course he would have a light and gentle touch, being as he was in fact a master craftsman of Suna.

Still though, the way his eyes observed every little detail of my features and movements made me feel quite uneasy. It was as if he was planning something sinister in my life, but rather, more tender and terror filled than I could possibly imagine.

For now though, I would try to pretend I didn't notice a single thing wrong with him. After all, the last thing I needed now was yet another person trying to end my life.

* * *

><p><strong>Here lies the end to chapter 2 or 3 as it is on the damn website. Augh, this confuses me, I'm going to sleep -.- Reviews of all kind are welcome, as always, naturally.<strong>


	4. Strong Will

**And here is chapter 3, only it's put down as chapter 4 and yeah, yes, it STILL irritates the crap out of me. I'll just get going along and get to the point already. I may not be posting certain parts of different stories for a bit, seeing as I have a lot of summer work I have to do and I'm getting my driver's permit the last week of this month, so yeah, just thought it would be good to update on that status, if any of you were wondering where I disappeared to all of a sudden.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

* * *

><p><strong>Strong Will<strong>

* * *

><p>My pondering on the quirks of the ominous man before me were abruptly interrupted by a loud knocking at my door and the jiggle of the door knob, as somebody tried to enter, only to find my door had been locked.<p>

"Natsumi!" I heard my father bellow from behind the door, startling me and making me flinch back against the frame of my bed. The door was banged upon once more, before it was promptly kicked. "Natsumi, you open this door right this instant! I want to know why you took the Chunin course when I made it very clear you were not going to be a kunoichi, damn it!" He yelled loudly, only making me imagine how red his face must be now and whether his fists were clenched, only barely restraining the urge to impulsively bust in my door.

I bit my bottom lip, looking down, ashamed, at my hands fidgeting in my lap. My father had all but forbid me from taking the Chunin exams, being as me going to the ninja academy had been plenty enough to satisfy my wasted wonderings, in his opinion. But how could he ever understand that it had become more than just a simple childhood fantasy, that it had slowly but surely become a dream, a passion, my life? It had only appeared as a waste of time, that I could be spending on running the family business; an herbal shop.

A job that I could never want.

I was a kunoichi. A low-ranked, pathetic excuse of a Kunoichi, but a Kunoichi none the less. I turned sketches into creations of art. Puppets. It was my passion, my dream, the only thing that made me stay in my place as a barely passed Chunin of Suna. I would rather be skewered through with a long bade, before I ever gave that dream up.

"For the passions of everlasting art..." I breathed softly, rasing my head to glare at the shouting from behind my door. I then turned my head to the ever observant and watchful Sasori, smirking to myself as I swung my legs over the side of my bed, standing up, strong will and determination spread across my features.

"Sasori, I wish for you to teach me to become more skilled in puppet mastery, so I can prove once and for all, exactly what the art of puppetry and the way of the shinobi truly is to _them_." I said, holding my voice firm and clear, the racket outside my door ceasing only when my voice drifted through the thin cracks in the wood.

Hazel eyes gazed with a burning intensity into mine, as I held that gaze, never letting it fall for even the slightest second, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "I thought you'd never ask, girl. But that's why I'm here, of course; to build your world up, then see if you can keep it from crashing back down when left on your own once again..."

The challenging tone was clear in his voice, sending chills down the base of my spine, but I ignored them this time. I had found myself a master.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter now bases the rest of what this story is going to be about, even if the chapters are short, they're packed full of information and detail, that I've used to improve my writing skills. Because as any good author knows, their style controls the tone of their writing and establishes an overall atmosphere, if used properly and effectively. Reviews^^<strong>


	5. Understanding

**I'm really starting to enjoy writing this story and I have a plan; I will be gone from my computer life from July 18th for about two to three weeks, so I shall post TWO new chapters before I go, to make up for what I can't while I am gone. Now here's the disclaimer and a new chapter^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Understanding<strong>

* * *

><p>I sat on my bed, legs crossed and sighing softly, before attaching a thin green chakra string to the door, unlocking it, then waited patiently for the intensive screaming that was about to follow.<p>

The door was thrown open with a sign that the rage was no longer being held back anymore. "Yes father? What brings you to my ro-" I was abruptly cut off as a sharp slap was placed upon my cheek, twisting my head to the side with a snap, a throbbing sting following afterwords.

My hand unconsciously raised to numbly touch my stinging skin, the only response I could think to give at that moment was a surprised blink. "I figured that would hurt more..." I muttered to myself, before forgetting the action and turning to look up at my fuming father, my mother standing just behind him, her eyes brimmed with tears and her hand gingerly reached up to lightly touch his shoulder, him only shrugging it off. A tear spilled down her cheek as she look away, ashamed.

She had all reason to be ashamed.

She had let him have his way once again, too timid and meek to refuse him anything for fear of his explosive temper. However, I could only see one way that we were even remotely related and that was by appearance alone. On the inside, we were completely different people. I may be weak and vulnerable to shinobi, but compared to her in the civilian status, she was the most skittish and mousey person among them all.

I wasn't afraid of father's wrath, for no matter what he did to me, it was harmless and gentle in comparison to how I was treated outside of home.

I slipped my feet onto the floor, standing up and brushing past them, without sparing a single glance in their general direction. "I'm sorry, but if this is all you came here to do, then it's simply just a waste of my time that I could be spending training." I passively pointed out, watching them from the corner of my eye as I passed, walking to my dresser and stopping to look back at them, my expression hollow. "And you have nothing to say now, do you?"

My father's face flushed red with anger as he grit his teeth and pointed to the door, growling out lowly. "I have nothing to say to you. You aren't my daughter anymore. Get your things and don't come back." My heart skipped a beat as my mother let out what seemed like a whimper and a pitiful wail. "No, darling, you don't mean that, you're just angry, that's all! I'm sure we can work this all out i-" He snarled and spun around to backhand her across the face, his arm suddenly and abruptly becoming caught in mid-swing before he could land the blow that would surely knock her to the floor.

I blinked and saw chakra strings attached to his arm, holding it in place, as he gasped, his eyes wide, visibly stunned, he snapped his head to look at me, shocked. "A-Are you.." I shook my head, just as astonished as he was, my mother's wobbly knees finally giving out from under her as she fell to the floor and began weeping, what for was beyond me. There were many reasons for her to cry now.

"Tut, tut... It's not very polite to strike a woman across the face. Especially if that woman happens to be your wife, Kentarou-san..." As soft, wispy voice said disapprovingly from my open window, all eyes immediately focusing their attention on the redhead watching us, shaking his head slightly.

I don't know what came over me, maybe the intense and overwhelming atmosphere in the air, but I couldn't seem to hold it back, as a smile broke through my passive mask and I exclaimed, "Sasori, you're back!"

I blinked, realizing I'd just said that aloud, my cheeks tinting a slight shade of pink. His eyes shifted to me and he smirked, rolling his eye slightly, before slipping in through the window and walking silently, yet gracefully, to stand before me.

"I almost forgot to tell you, that your first lesson is tomorrow, at sunrise exactly. Don't be late, or you shall regret it greatly." He said, his eyes catching mine and I don't know if I imagined it or not, but I could've sworn I saw a look of understanding in his eyes in that instant. I couldn't decide upon it for long because he had turned around once he had said what he came back to say, and was out the window and gone before I could blink.

My father's arm fell limply to his side, too stunned to even comprehend what had just happened to become violent once again. I didn't care how he felt now, and I didn't wish to find out.

But I did know one thing, for sure; I would definitely have to remember to thank Sasori tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>The end of a good chapter, and it's actually about 200 words longer than my past chapters have been. Reviews, and enjoy reading^^<strong>


	6. Limerence

**Alright, so I know I updated on Friday, but I was just really wanting to put that chapter up, I wasn't stating that it would be the update for this week, it was a bonus because over 750 people have read this story so far, which boosted my kindness status enormously, even though only two people have been considerate enough to review, I don't really mind. I'm just glad it's being read at all. Thank-you and here's number five/six^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Limerence<strong>

* * *

><p>Small billows of sand blew past my feet as I walked over the seemingly endless sheets of sand, hoping I wasn't too early for my first training lesson with Sasori. I didn't doubt he was already there, waiting patiently, a trait I'd learned wasn't very common for him, for the sun to rise up over the dunes of sand in the distance.<p>

These past few days, Sasori's unusual and sudden interest in my life had become the top priority on my mind, claiming all my mental space with an ocean of never-ending questions.

Sasori himself, for instance, was the greatest mystery to ponder over. He was strange and full of contrasts, often times he seemed egotistic and just downright aggressive to me, but others, he gave off the impression of being noble, ingenious, strategic, and quite passionate. I doubted many people liked him personally, but none the less, they still admired and respected him. Compared to me, he was more human than I was, more noticed on a broad horizon, yet he still preferred to blend with the arraying colors instead of thriving in the midst of the hues.

My skills of a shinobi leaned more towards the intellect side than physical side, which gave me a knack for picking up on things like these from a person.

I could read a person as easily as an open book, note all their flaws, ticks, and habits, even if they were trained fairly well to keep them concealed, little ever passed my attention. But the inner qualities of a person were always my favorite to observe and pick apart, no matter how many flaws I could count out.

Even though Sasori was a difficult subject to break down, I still managed to get an exact reading from him, even though he happened to be one of those Shinobi who were nearly impossible to figure out. I hoped that this would help me in the future, if he ever tried to turn on me, which I wouldn't put past him. But still, even though my mind was against him in every way common sense can be against a person, a small pull continued to tug on me, keeping me headed in his direction.

Be it fate or just a simple feeling of growing attachment, I wouldn't hold it back. I would stay practical about this, but not too wary and mistrusting to a point of straining any possibility of a future relationship.

I'd never had a friend, or even a person to talk to other than myself for that matter. But I knew I couldn't remain my only confidante forever. I was fifteen years old, almost sixteen, for crying out loud! I needed a friend. No matter how off and ominous he may seem, Sasori was the only one who had ever reached out to me. And as I had promised, I _would_ repay him for that small bit of kindness shown to me.

Maybe if fate would have it, we could become close friends or maybe even more than that...

But that was just my affection starved mind being outspoken. Whatever I was offered now, I would do my best to accept it, without hesitation, despite my ever suspicious nerves. Because when a human is lonely, they will do almost anything to change that, even kill or sacrifice certain people or things to keep the object of their desire and attention all to themselves, just for the sake of feeling and companionship.

I wasn't so lonely and empty inside that I would go to such lengths just for the sake of a possible friendship with a person, but that didn't mean I still wasn't lonely and empty inside.

I needed a friend, or rather _someone_ or _something_ to fill that disreputable emptiness and loneliness I felt on a day-to-day basis.

But little did I know, that just because I would never resort to tainted limerence, didn't mean a particular person wouldn't.

* * *

><p><strong>Goodness, how I do LOVE a good cliffhanger^^ Bet you know where I'm going with this one though... A good bit of foreshadowing as well if you look real well. And just for those who don't know what limerence is, to break it down, it's basically a term used to describe an involuntary state of mind which seems to result from a romantic attraction for another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated. Want to get a better definition on it, then look it up on Wikipedia^^ Reviews, as always, are always welcome.<strong>


	7. Insolence

**Ah, a good cliffhanger/foreshadow to an unknown event. Funny thing is, I actually conjure this up solely off the top of my head, not literally, of course, but I just make it up as I go along, haha. I tend to find it easier that way. And to make a twist, this chapter will be put in Sasori's point of view, a rarity for this story, but I so went there, haha.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Insolence<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Such undaunted, lively animation...<em>

"Again."

She grunted, sucking in a deep breath and heaved herself from the sand covered ground, gingerly testing her footing before flicking her wrists to the right and bringing them back down, striking out.

_No... Not animation... Balance, flawed and easily read balance, but balance none the less... _

Her moves were easily perceived and a simple dodge to the left caused her attack to be as useless as before. "You're trying too hard. If all you can do is impulsively lash out at your opponent, you're better off just dropping dead." Her face twisted into a scowl and she ground her teeth together in frustration. A smirk found its way to my lips as I calculated that she was in fact contemplating lunging head first at me.

_How interesting that would be... _

But for the first time in the past four hours of the seemingly pointless training session, the girl surprised me. Instead of rearing her hands back and sending the simply crafted wooden puppet down on me once more, she detached the chakra strings and released the puppet back to the scroll it had originally came, and pulled out another, smirking at me, her eyes flashing suspiciously under her dark eyelashes.

_What is she up to now?... _

A small puff appeared over her scroll and then nothing. She just stood there, unmoving, and that damn smirk was still plastered on her face.

_Her attitude could be just a façade to distract from what her real intentions are, but those don't appear to be valid at this moment... Although..._

I quickly spun around, blocking off the senbon directed towards pressure points in my back with a kunai, the senbon sticking in the ground after briefly clinking with the metal.

"Impressive. But it's going to take a lot more than just a few simple senbon to-" I was cut off, as the sharp sting of metal ripped a small slit in my sleeve, grazing the skin only slightly.

"It appears you only looked for the secondary attack, not the third, Sasori." Her voice smugly stated, chuckling slightly under her breath.

"There are hidden chakra threads attached to the senbon, but I knew you'd be looking for that, so I took the courtesy of attacking with a single senbon while your back was turned to back my first set of senbon. Effective, and the best part is that the senbon were all individually doused in a numbing poison made by yours truly. I'd say you've got about an hour before you're unable to move a single muscle in that arm."

_Damn... Very calculating and ingenious with simple attacks, rather than obvious ones... It's seems I've gone and underestimated her. She's more like me than I first realized. I knew she'd prove me wrong, foolish, brilliant girl..._

"But since I'm not cruel, I'll administer an antidote to that cut, but you'll have to hold still for me to do that." She continued, shifting quietly over to me, my eyes narrowed to watch her every movement, only to widen a fraction, as she surprised me for the third time this day.

She looked up at me, her eyes an unnatural clear, luminescent shade of blue, crystal sparks seeming to emit from the rims of her eyes. A gentle smile caressed her delicate features as she gingerly touched my arm, sending a chill down my spine. "Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to beat your ass with a fishing rod like I've seen your obaa-san do to you on many occasions."

_I never really took it into great detail, but Natsumi is quite beau- Wait, WHAT did she just say?_

The innocent, fake smile she wore only seemed to make my eye twitch out of irritation. "You're a real brat, you know that?" I glared, my cheeks tinting the smallest shade of red. She giggled and patted my head, her eyes closed and her grin as big as ever.

"At least a retired elder doesn't own me with a fishing tool." I think my face flushed an even darker shade of red, pure embarrassment rising up, as I snapped back. "Would you shut-up about that?"

It only increased her giggling and she turned around and walked away, glancing back over her shoulder, smirking and waving mockingly at my embarrassment and anger. "Whatever you say, Sasori_-kun,_whatever you say..."

* * *

><p><strong>How I love being able to bring his grandmother into this, haha! Go Chiyo, kick his ass! XD Anyway, this sort of chapter (One in Sasori's POV) isn't going to happen much, and I'm going to try to stick to Natsumi's POV from now on, but you never know, I may be doing a chapter in Sasori's POV again, I just don't know when or if I am. And to add, I'd like to say I'm grateful to be working with a Beta for this story now, and I thank her for working with me, when I tend to be a little off sometimes, haha. So here's your thank you, Gaara and Sasori's Neko Lover^^ Anyway, reviews, as always, are lovingly welcome^^<strong>


	8. Deadly

**That last chapter was solely just for my amusemnet, haha. I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring Sasori's grandmother into this, such a violent old woman she is, haha. Anyway, here lies the first chapter to make up for the first week I'm gone.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own a panda pillow, you know you're jealous.**

* * *

><p><strong>Deadly<strong>

* * *

><p>The sun beat down hot, humid rays as I trudged through the heated sand training grounds, sighing in relief as a light, yet very brief breeze blew over me. The sand dusted off the ground and for a short moment, danced in a swirling circle around my ankles, causing me to pause and watch before it fluttered back down to rest.<p>

_That almost reminds me of what freedom's supposed to be like... Not that I'd know. My level of skill isn't high enough to allow me escape from this desert unless necessary... _

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a sharp pressure slammed into my gut, knocking the air out of me, eyes popping wide open in an instant. My body seared with pain, as I doubled over, collapsing to my knees and raising my head to see who my attacker was, though I already had no doubt in my mind who it was.

Giving me a sharp and ornery grin, was the ringleader of the group of rotten bastards who assaulted me just for the hell of it practically everyday of my life. I scowled at them, gritting my teeth together, attempting to bite back any tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. Today was appearing to become one of _those _days, a day where I put up a fight and fought back, instead of running away, crying blindly.

But the difference between all those past times and now was that I felt an unusual stirring in my chest and my confidence was high and overwhelming. For the first time, I felt as if I didn't have to fight anymore and that it would be beneath me to involve myself in their petty, cruel games any longer.

Which is definitely something that none of them expected, as I slowly, careful to steady myself, stood up, clutching my stomach and sides wearily and began to stumble away. Shocked and seemingly disbelieving gasps and mutters from a few of the shinobi whispered around my ears, before most of them turned to amused and taunting snickers and snorts.

But that wouldn't matter anymore, not to me, not ever again.

"And where do you think you're going? Aren't you going to stick around so we can show you who the _real s_hinobi are, hm?" The shabby leader of the group called after me, his faced twisted in a taunting grin. I paused, closing my eyes and let out a long breath, before reopening my eyes and turning back around to face them, my features passive and apathetic.

"It is a pure insult for pathetic scum like you to dare put yourself on the same playing field as I. You call yourself shinobi, but it is nothing more than a mere label you have given yourselves to intimidate those who you consider weaker than you, but you are no shinobi. You make me sick, just by the arrogance you give off in sickening waves. If it wasn't against my very nature, I would poison every last one of you and leave you to rot, just like you attempted to do to me last night." My tone was cold and the layers of bitter hatred were thick in my words, causing a few of them to step back, even a couple left in hastily.

"Goodness, you've begun to rub off on me, Sasori..." I muttered to myself, shaking my head and turning my back on them, continuing on my slow shuffle through the sand.

"Oh and good luck trying to save yourself! I stabbed you when I punched you! It's all over for you now, you pathetic little bitch!" Their leader yelled after me, before laughing maniacally to himself, a crazed look in his eyes, as I looked wide-eyed back at him, before the pain suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks.

_My body... poisoned..._

My legs suddenly locked and gave out from under me, as I fell, only to be caught by familiar arms. "It would seem we're in a similar predicament as yesterday, Natsumi_-chan_..._" _A quiet, velvet voice chuckled in my ear, as the weight of the ground faded away and I felt myself held in warm, protective arms. I smirked, closing my eyes, before turning my face up to look at Sasori. "You... smart ass..." He emitted another chuckle, looking down on me, his eyes opening more, giving him a slightly more crazed look, as he smirked, eying the shocked group around us.

"I suggest you close your eyes for a while, my dear... My art could get a bit... messy..."

That was the last thing I heard before darkness enveloped me, and a horror-stricken scream filled the hot, desert air.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, here we are. I'm going to keep this short and just say, please review and realize Sasori is insane. That is all, lol...<strong>


	9. Unsuspecting

**Here's the second chapter, as promised. Enjoy^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Although I like to pretend some of the characters are mine sometimes, don't sue me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Unsuspecting<strong>

* * *

><p>"Sasori, you baka! Why did you not administer an antidote sooner? Common poisons are not so difficult that you can't simply just figure it out on your own!"<p>

"I apologize, obaa-san, but the time necessary to create an antidote would have done little for the poison already in her system. And I was right, knowing you would already have an antidote created here if I brought her to you."

The was a long period of silence after that, before the other person sighed, shuffling to the table next to where I lay, checking my temperature. "Who is this girl anyway, Sasori? And since when did you have friends, hm?" The other voice, distinctly an elderly female chuckled, probably grinning teasingly.

Sasori ground his teeth down and glowered, not that I could see any of this, I could only hear, but I just seemed to _feel _his anger at that comment. We were the same, in a way, after all. It certainly wouldn't have made me feel all too happy to hear something like that.

"Old hag..." I heard him mutter under his breath, making my lips turn up in a slight smile as I giggled softly, earning the attention of the two in the room. It was a slight hassle, but eventually I opened my eyes, slowly as to shield them from the light around me, and a small groan of pain and uncomfortableness slipped from my lips as I sat up, my muscles still a bit tender and shaky.

"You both talk too loud, I woke up a while ago, I just wanted to see how far that conversation of yours would go." I smiled, chuckling quietly to myself as I shook my head, fighting back any waves of dizziness that threatened to pull me back under into unconsciousness.

When I looked back up, however, the two blurring images that were Sasori and an elderly woman slowly pieced together and became clear. A slight smirk adorned Sasori's features and his arms crossed over his chest while the elderly woman had a smile on her face, and she looked as if she would laugh any moment. As my perception almost always is, it rang true, as the old woman burst out laughing, jabbing an elbow into the unsuspecting side of Sasori, who stumbled forward, placing his hands in front of me and scowled in her direction for his loss of balance, before turning his face back straight ahead, only to freeze, coming nose and nose with me.

For a second, the two of us held each others' gaze steadily, breath mingling with the other's, before it became painstakingly obvious how close the proximity between us was, as I held my breath, cheeks tinting pink and I lowered my eyes, a smirk tugging at the corners of Sasori's mouth, before he slowly pulled away.

"Uhm, anyway..." I started softly, still flushed with embarrassment, "What happened after I, er, blacked out?" I raised my head and looked between the two, genuinely curious about what had happened after Sasori had uttered those words that had, and still did, given me chills down the base of my spine.

_(Flashback)_

_"I suggest you close your eyes for a while, my dear... My art could get a bit... messy..."_

_That was the last thing I heard before darkness enveloped me, and a horror-stricken scream filled the hot, desert air._

_(End Flashback)_

The old woman in the room reached out and patted my back, chuckling to herself. "Oh, that all can be talked about at a later time. You look half-starved, so we're going to get some nutrition into you, whether you like it or not! And besides, I want to spend some time with my future granddaughter." She grinned slyly, as my face heated up and my eyes widened, and Sasori started choking on air in the background, his face flushed.

"W-WHAT?" I gasped, before leaning forwards too far, only to tumble quite ungraciously to the ground, laughter omitting from the elder, as she took in both of our reactions_. _

_I can see why Sasori can't stand her now... Oh dear God, help me..._

* * *

><p><strong>And here's the second chapter, put into a humourous form, mainly off of the embarrassment one's family members can do when faced with a situation as such. To any of you who've had the misfortunancy of a relative assuming that your friend you brought home is going to be your spouse someday, this goes to you. And another thanks to my wonderful Beta for taking the time to go over my chapters while I'm gone, thank you again.<strong>


	10. Embarrassment

**And here's the last chapter of my three chapters that, as I promised, were added to the story to make up for my two-week absence. And in all honesty, I'm going to be frank about this, and say I'm too lazy to write an entire chapter, no matter how short, on the day I come back, which will be my update day, so I'm giving myself a week to reenergize, being as my sorry ass is going to be run ragged while I'm gone, tehe. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But as of Saturday, my birthday, I now own an Itachi plushie. It's fucking cute. Don't judge me...**

* * *

><p><strong>Embarrassment<strong>

* * *

><p>I groaned, picking myself off the floor, and gave Sasori a withering stare, rubbing my temples with my the tips of my index and middle fingers. "Augh, damn it, Sasori-kun, why didn't you just let me die of blood poisoning? This is <em>so <em>much worse than death..." He cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair loosely and sighed, collecting his calm and cool demeanor once more, after the shock of what the old woman, who I now knew was Sasori's grandmother, had said lifted.

My cheeks were still slightly pink as I brushed myself off, looking at the deviously grinning old woman, sweat-dropping and taking a step back, bumping against Sasori's chest, not even acknowledging it, muttering under my breath to him, "What's with that look on her face? That _really _can't be any sort of sign to any good intentions..." He grunted, stepping around me and placed a hand lightly on my shoulder, only then did I notice the short distance between him and I.

"Obaa-san, this is Kentarou Natsumi, Natsumi-chan," he smirked at the added suffix to my name, as I had done with his, "this is my obaa-san, Chiyo."

I blinked, letting the blush fade from my cheeks and bowed my head slightly in respect towards Chiyo, before looking up, a smile faintly gracing my features. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Chiyo-san. I've heard some interesting things about you..." I smirked, childishly sticking my tongue at Sasori, who in return gave me an annoyed look.

"We agreed to drop that." He growled, narrowing his eyes, cheeks ever just so lightly shaded red. I chuckled slightly, smiling deviously, crossing my arms and turning to face him, amusement clear in my eyes. "Ah, and that's where you're wrong, Sasori_-kun_. You just got pissy about it, I didn't agree to anything, so in your ginger face."

He glared, before sighing, rolling his eyes and looking away, muttering in mild annoyance, "You are quite immature, do you realize this?" I laughed, uncrossing my arms and smiling genuinely in his direction. "Not only do I realize is, I accept and appreciate it, so get used to it."

Unbeknownst to us, Chiyo was watching with great care the scene unfolding between the two teens before her, grinning like a wolf, sneaking suspicion of a future relationship between Sasori and I finding its way into her mind as she was already conducting a plan to get great-grandchildren faster.

"Sasori-kun, she's doing it again..." I said, inching behind him, as Chiyo snapped out of her daydream, known only to her as plotting, and watched the grin on her face with wide eyes as Sasori gave up. He walked to the door, muttering loud enough for us both to hear, "This is just becoming a pain, I'm going to go work on my puppets, play nice you two..."

I gaped, before glaring after him, irritated he'd leave me to the mercy of his skilled-at-using-fishing-tools-as-weapons grandmother.

_Sasori, when you get back, I am going to KILL you... _I seethed in my mind, before gulping and looking to Chiyo who was now sitting in a chair, smiling in a way that would fool almost any normal person who didn't know her true nature. "Come sit with me, deary, and we can have a nice long chat about how many great-grandchildren I expect of you two." She snickered as my face heated to a deep tomato red.

_Screw killing the bastard, I'm going to SLAUGHTER him._

* * *

><p><strong>And here's the last one, enjoy everyone, as always, review and note that I got this idea from reading too many Uchiha based stories, mainly about some unlucky female being paired off with one of those immensely gorgeous emos, half the time Itachi and Sasuke's mother smothering them and expecting over 37 grandchildren *insert sweatdrop* Geez, how troublesome... XD<strong>


	11. Solitude

**Ah, it's good to be back in my shitty town of heat and oilfields. Not. I miss Santee and my cousin, but never fear, I'm moving in with her next year to attend college courses to make up for the high school classes that I'll be missing while I skip out on school here, yay^^ But either way, I will still have access to a computer, so I won't have to drop any of my stories. Unless somebody pisses off Shino. Then his bugs will eat my computer. Hm...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Solitude<strong>

* * *

><p>I gulped before nervously sitting down in the seat beside the ever grinning elder, folding my hands in my lap. She chuckled, pulling a kunai from her right sleeve and patiently began wiping it clean of any smudges with a small rag, smiling to herself. I swallowed the lump building in my throat and gripped the wrappings on my calves, letting out a breath I hadn't known I had held in and spoke, my voice only stuttering slightly, "Uhm, Chiyo-san? I know what you're thinking, and Sasori-kun and I, are definitely <em>not <em>anything more than simply friends. Or at least we're on friendly terms, I guess..."

She chuckled once more, pausing her ministrations on the kunai to watch the blush spread over my cheeks. "My dear child, you do not seem to realize just how wrong you are. My grandson has no friends because he finds them an annoyance and a setback to his work, therefore, him becoming friends with anyone does not add up. So unless I'm mistaken, which I hardly am, you must be a pretty darn intriguing girl to catch his eye."

My mind swam with questions of all sorts, trying desperately to figure out exactly what to make of this new-found information. I mean, come on; Sasori, as in _the _Sasori who had randomly and almost out of nowhere took me home from my most recent beating and tended to my cuts and scrapes like a mother, well any mother other than my own, would have done. Than in the same night he had just happened to still be lingering outside my room and stopped my father from crudely hitting my mother and shocked them out of being around me for the rest of the night, not making a single sound as they left and shuffled to their bedroom. Not to mention that he had caught me from falling after the encounter with my tormentors, dear God, I didn't even want to think about what had become of those shinobi after I had lost consciousness. Then I ended up here, with him and his obaa-san bickering amongst themselves to wake up to.

Chiyo-san _had _said that he could've countered the poison that was in the small wound on my abdomen easily, so why had he instead chosen to bring me here to seek treatment from her? Had his intentions been to introduce the two of us?

'_My grandson has no friends, because he finds them an annoyance and a setback to his work, therefore, him becoming friends with anyone does not add up.' _

So why? Why had he done it?

"Augh..." I held my head in my hands, tugging at my hair in frustration. "This really doesn't add up..." I looked up, letting go of my hair and smoothing it out, muttering under my breath about 'confusing red-heads' before looking up wearily and grumbled, "Fine, I give up, just tell me what the hell I'm supposed to make of that and how I'm supposed to go about it..."

Her eyes narrowed and she nodded, setting down the kunai and rag in her lap and sighed before her features became that of a serious, grief-stricken old woman, making me blink, thinking I had imagined it. "In all honesty, if you want to know anything, ask Sasori yourself. But I want you to know this first, so maybe if you truly are who my grandson sees you as, you will understand... You see, my dear, when Sasori was young, his mother and father were killed by Hatake Sakumo of Konohagakure, which led to him being placed within my care. To cheer him up I began to teach him the art of making puppets. And my, how that child grew... He began making puppets at around the age of five, and to my utter shock, even made puppets that resembled his parents. I do not know whether it was to get rid of the loneliness I'm sure he must have felt inside from their deaths..." She took a moment to pause, looking at me with sadness and regret, making my heart twinge with sympathy, before she continued.

"But because they were only puppets, they were incapable of giving him the natural parental love he desired, so he lost interest in them. They later fell into my possession after that and it has not been spoken of since. But now, Sasori has proven to be born a natural at the art, even devising domineering ways of eliminating a puppet master's weakness in battle to the master he is today. He is a dark pit of mysteries, my child, and some things he does are not so purehearted as he makes them seem. If you can understand this and except it, I am sure that maybe, just maybe, he won't have to feel so lonely anymore."

As I took all of that in, I began to wonder if the reason he had decided to pick me out was because there was a sense of familiarity to my life. The feeling of empty loneliness. If we shared that, than as Chiyo-san had said, maybe, we might even be able to take away each others loneliness, and replace it with a bond only a few select people were able to do.

* * *

><p><strong>Done and proud of it. I'm one of those people who remembers all the little details of practically anything that I really have an interest in. And no, that does not make me a know-it-all, just someone who is quite observant when needs be. Lots of people are like that, and that's why I hate people most days because practically all of them are complete dumbasses to someone who is exceptionally intelligent. That's why I like this website. Because any person who writes or reads anything HAS to be intelligent, otherwise it's considered a waste of time, idiots... Anyway, I'll stop ranting and say my usual, please review, and whatnot. <strong>


	12. Disbelief

**After that long Sasori history lesson, I got bored and decided to add my next update with a bit of *cough* romance. But it shouldn't really be unexpected. This IS a romance fanfiction after all, even if I do lag behind on it, it will be built as I go along. And this is actually one of my least reviewed stories for some of the most chapters, not that I mind, considering I know that Sasuke and his duck ass hair and Naruto doing a remake of Brokeback Mountain just must be sooo appealing to readers, not. Seriously people, I may have a few favorite fics with them as a couple, but it's only because they aren't the main focus of the story. If it was that way I'd drop it, because I highly doubt that Masashi Kishimoto intended to have deranged fangirls making his main characters nail each other. Naruto loves Sakura, and is oblivious to Hinata's love and Sasuke's asexual. Let it GO. That is all for my weekly rant.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and if I did, I'd probably kill Sasuke. I don't like his hair -.-**

* * *

><p><strong>Disbelief<strong>

* * *

><p>Just as Chiyo-san had said, there was an old dark wooden door at the end of the hallway that could very well be mistaken for a labyrinth. If one was not careful, they might end up lost for who knows how long until they might be found, as I had managed to almost do many times in the past six minutes<em>. <em>

_But this is Sasori we're talking about. The more obnoxiously difficult, the better in his case, I suppose_.

I sighed, gathering up what little courage I hadn't left outside and raised my trembling fist to knock on the door, only to have it open the exact moment I went to knock upon its hard surface. "You are so terrible at masking your chakra, that I could feel it annoyingly spike with every progressing step you made until you ended up standing outside my workroom door for the past three minutes. What do you want?" A rather irritated looking Sasori drawled out in a voice the drained the little courage I had left until it disappeared completely_. _

_Oh dear goodness, I hadn't actually thought I would get this far! What am I supposed to say? Hello? Good-bye? Ahh, this is so unnerving! _

While I panicked within my mind, my body stood frozen and unmoving from the spot I had stopped in, my hand still raised, before a sharp jab to the forehead snapped me out of it. To my utter disbelief, Sasori had flicked me in the forehead with his middle finger. He had an inquiring look in his eyes, as well as an eyebrow raised as if to say, _"What the hell are you doing?" _

My face burned a deep shade of scarlet and I opened my mouth to explain myself, but found I was at a loss for words. "I-I, well you see, I was, uhm, I... I've got nothing..." I sighed, lowering my head to stare dejectedly at my feet, my arm falling limply to my side as I prepared for him to lecture me about my pointless behavior. Surprisingly though, it never came. All I received was a rather tired sounding sigh and a hand grasping my wrist and leading me into the room, which was what I would call a craftsman's heaven on earth.

The room was dimly lit, with a good-sized old workbench against the wall in the middle of the room, large amounts of sawdust and wood shavings scattered the floor left a distinct and appreciative scent hanging in the air. But that was not what caught my attention. What had been the long rows upon rows of puppets, varying from wooden to steel, all lined up along the far back wall, causing a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding in to escape from my throat. He grunted, ignoring my rather awed response and lead me to his workbench where he indicated to a lone chair next to it for me to sit in, while he went back to his seat directly in front of a large hunk of wood in the middle of the process of being crafted into a body of a puppet adorning the table.

After I finished gazing in pure amazement around the room, I looked over to see what Sasori was currently doing, only to quickly avert my gaze and look at my hands in my lap fidgeting nervously, as a smirk graced his features. I ignored the blush spread across my cheeks and counted to thirty silently in my head, before looking up again, only more hesitantly this time, to see he was still doing it.

My initial reaction was embarrassment when I had looked to see what he was doing, only to find him watching me with an interested and rather amused look on his face, while his head was propped up by his hand resting against the side of his head, his body shifted towards where I was sitting. Looking down with a red face, knowing I'd been caught watching him, I hoped he would turn away when I looked back up again, so I didn't feel so bloody awkward, only to see not much had changed from the last time I'd looked up, besides the smirk now placed on his lips.

"Stop staring at me..." I mumbled out, eyes averted from his. He let out a soft chuckle and, ignoring me as usual, only prompted to move his chair closer to mine so he could uneasily gaze at me from a closer distance. "Now why would I do that when you have such a pretty blush adorning such a pretty face?"

My heart seemed to leap into my throat at the exact moment his words touched my ears and my head snapped up to stare wide-eyed and red-faced at his smug demeanor. "D-Did you...?" I stuttered over my words, not seeming able to form a simple coherent sentence, as he leaned in even closer to my face, his smirk almost softening a bit.

"Yes, I do believe I did..." He breathed into my face, his fingertips ghosting over the skin on my arm, raising goosebumps instantly, as I felt my heart rapidly pound in frantic beats as he leaned in closer, his soft red hair tickling my cheeks and his nose brushed against mine. I was so close to finding my voice and the will to move my frozen limbs, just another second...

"S-Sasori, what are you...?" I whispered, realizing his intentions and let out a small gasp as he pressed his lips to mine, me being able to feel a smirk form on his lips, as all the will to jerk away from him vanished and he leaned in closer, before the large door suddenly flung open and hit the wall, followed by a loud shout of triumph. "See, Ebizou? I told you my grandson could get somewhere with an attractive female! Bwahahaha, I win yet another bet!"

I blinked, mainly from complete shock, and saw Sasori had moved as far away from me as possible and his face was hidden by his hair as I heard him growl out in a low voice, "You old hag, you're absolutely insufferable, get out _now_..."

Instead, I stood up from my seat so abruptly I knocked the chair back in my haste as I sped to door, bowing my head to the elders and muttered, "Arigato, Chiyo-san and Ebizou-san, for having me this evening, but I must be going now, good-bye!" and quickly ran past them, not stopping until I was within the safety of my locked room, clutching my chest and panting. A hand shakily reached to touch my trembling lips and my heart began to pound loudly once more, although I highly doubt it was from the run this time.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, another update and yes it IS longer than most of my others, but that's just because I started writing and I just didn't want to stop, so yeah, R &amp; R, and good-day.<strong>


	13. Frustration

**I'm just going to keep this short today and just say here's my next update as usual, enjoy, thanks to my wonderful Beta for all her hard work and patience with a procrastinator like me, etc.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Frustration<strong>

* * *

><p>I groaned, turning over onto my side and raised my hand in an attempt to shield my eyes from the sun seeping through my window. Sighing, I gave up on the idea of perhaps getting more sleep and pushed myself out of bed, letting my feet find the floor as I yawned and ran a hand through my hair.<p>

_Going to sleep is much more easy than having to actually get up in the morning..._

Begrudgingly, I shuffled across my room to my window and pulled back the impending shutters from the frame, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and stared out into the small crowds of civilians bustling around to, more likely than not, complete their morning chores and tasks. A smile quirked at my lips as I imagined once again how easy it would have been to give in to my father's constant threats and demands that I relinquish myself from being a kunoichi, as it would be so much more dignified if I just followed in our family's civilian footsteps. But, alas for him, I refused time and time again, stating that it was easier to give up, and that's why I refused to do so. More or less, it was the truth. I had no intentions of giving up what I had bled many times for. Being a shinobi wasn't as glamorous as it was made out to be, especially in these times. Half of the civilian population wasn't allowed to leave the village, due to protocol regarding the fact that a war was taking place outside of the protecting walls of our village.

I sighed, looking down at my fingers curled over the edge of the window sill tiredly. It had been three days that I had been home, not once even so much as walking past the stoop of my front door. It wasn't because I was ill, per say, but more than a little uneasy and anxious about leaving my house for nervousness of running into a couple of gossiping elders or one of said elder's deranged grandson who seemed to thought it was okay to just steal a girl's first kiss without so much as a single warning before he-

_Augh, damn it, damn it, damn it! _I bit my bottom lip to stifle a frustrated outburst and dug my fingernails into the wood of the sill. It angered me how I couldn't even so much as think about _it_, whatever it had been or meant, without becoming damn near enraged. My heart began to pound rapidly in my chest cavity and blood rushed to heat up my face. Even without him being here, he still managed to make my heart beat faster and my face hot with scarlet tinting.

The lies I kept feeding myself that I didn't go outside because I felt sick were all cheap attempts to keep the real issue at bay; I was slowly, but surely, beginning to form feelings for the puppet master I'd met but only six days ago. How feelings for another could form so fast, was beyond my recognition. I wasn't necessarily what one would call experienced in anything having to do with romance, being as the only example I could remember was that of other families and random couples on the streets. My parents on their own had never been much of an example, seeing as they hardly ever showed even so much as liking for each other. Sometimes I wondered what had brought them together in the first place, but I dared not ask. Romance was just... a thing I had enough knowledge about to be aware of the lifetime long question children asked their parents about where babies came from and how a romantic relationship worked, but never had I experienced any of it firsthand.

"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath, cursing Sasori for bringing up such confusing thoughts and questions. All I knew for sure was that if he dared show his face around here, I would- "Hello." A rather cheerful voice stated from my window ledge, breaking me from my train of thought in an instant.

I gasped and jerked my head up, wide-eyed and stared blindly into the face of a smug looking Sasori who was balancing on my window frame in a crouch, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Now, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me, Natsumi-chan." He drawled in a voice that made it seem as if he was still pondering the very idea of it himself but hadn't fully come to a conclusion. My face burned, seeming to grow in anger, when really my legs were likely to give from under me, they felt so weak. So, to cover up my aching want to just hide under my covers childishly, I ground out sarcastically, "Oh, I never would have guessed. It's not like you caught me off guard or anything when you _kissed me_." My voice almost turned to a growl when I spat out the last of my sentence.

But regardless of how bold I tried to make myself seem, he saw right through me in only a matter of seconds, as his lips curled into a smirk and he chuckled softly at my falling expression. "Oh really now, is _that _what you've made a fuss over for the past three days? Such a silly girl you are..." He breathed in my face, holding the top of my window with one hand and using it to lean further into my room. If my legs hadn't been locked in place, I would have taken a step back, but seeing that would only have been an attempt in vain, I merely gulped and watched the careless expression on his face, but I could have sworn my eyes drifted to his lips for a split second.

His breath fanned my already heated cheeks as he raised a hand to run a finger under my jaw line until he paused at of my chin, tilting my head up so he could get a better look, I presumed. "You act so bold, when in fact you're quite the opposite. Why?" He asked simply, turning my face back when I tried to look away and smirked, running his thumb over the baseline of my jaw, leaning in ever closer. "Now that won't do. When I hear your response, I want to see the heat in your eyes..." I sucked in a sharp breath as I felt his lips brush the shell of my ear, my heart once again starting up a beating frenzy and my face burning to the hottest degree, as I mustered up the last of my courage and tore away from him, stumbling backwards and almost falling and slammed the window in his face, blocking him from view. I breathed heavily, clutching my chest and sank to my knees, my back making contact with my dresser as I groaned and let my head thunk back on the dresser as I stared up at my ceiling.

"I never should have gotten up this morning..."

* * *

><p><strong>Now this was fun to write, believe me, it was. I love how flustered and embarrassed people can honestly get when faced with a situation that they have little to no experience in. It's quite amusing. I just don't like it when it happens to me -.- So R &amp; R, and good day.<strong>


	14. Ignorance

**I apologize to everyone who figured I had forgotten to update this story or had just randomly dropped dead. In fact, it's an interesting story about what happened, actually. You see, I only have access to ONE computer out of the FIVE in this house, and my dipshit older brother decided that one day he was going to change the passwords on the two user accounts on the ONE and ONLY computer I'm allowed to use. And it gets better; then the dumbass decided to forget the newly changed passwords, cutting me off from both accounts on, I repeat, the ONLY computer I'm allowed to use. Yesterday he finally decided to remember them, after countless threats on his life from your's truly and various random attacks from my pet ferret, Banana. So here I am today, begging your forgiveness for my idiotic brother's mistakes and here are the three new posts I owe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Ignorance<strong>

* * *

><p>"N-Natsumi?..."<p>

A timid squeak that I immediately recognized as my mother came from outside my bedroom door, before a rather meek knock followed. "Uhm, there's this nice young man at the front d-door for you, c-could you please come d-down before your father becomes c-cross?..."

I sighed, hearing the overly pitiful tone my mother put out and set the paintbrush I had been using to form a pair of sky blue eyes on a wooden puppet's face down in a small bowl of water. My left eye began a rather irritated twitch and I growled lowly in the back of my throat as I stood up from my work desk and stalked to my bedroom door. I unbolted the deadlock and jerked the door open, surprising my mother into backing away, shaking like a leaf. "N-Natsumi, are you alr-right-"

She cut off as she finally noticed the large amount of anger radiating from me and gulped. Most, if not all, color drained from her face as she stood aside to allow me to storm down the stairs to the front door, where the sight before me only ceased to deepen my explosive anger. My fists clenched down and my blunt fingernails dug into the palms of hands as I forced out through grit teeth, "What the hell is going on here?.."

My father looked back from his casual stance against the frame of the open front door, questioning me with his eyes for a mere second before ignoring my presence and turning back to the door. "As I was saying, yeah the war can be considered a continental tragedy to some, but for us merchants, it can be a blessing, haha. I'll tell ya' I've sold more floral products then I ever have. Guess shinobi like yourself like to use that stuff for spying and detonation devices, but hell if I'd argue, so long as the money keeps rolling in."

A soft chuckle came from in front of him, blood rushing to my ears as I processed the horribly cruel things my father had just said to a certain shinobi who had lost his parents because of war.

_This isn't going to end well, not at all. At this rate, I'm almost positive Sasori's going to kill him! _

Said redhead shook his head lightly, his hair seeming to frame around his face in a way that made him look as if he was the most angelic being ever to exist. But the barely noticeable rage and blood lust glinting in his eyes was not something that I missed. I'd grown too accustomed to his fits of rage and, thank the gods, luckily hadn't witnessed. But even I wasn't blind enough to not see the way his fingers twitched as thin threads of chakra crept along the floor from the tips of his fingers, heading directly towards my unsuspecting father. I bit my lip and lowered my head for a moment, making up my mind.

_You've never been a real father to me, and I realize that I hate you with a flaming passion, but I refuse to let your ignorance be the death of you. Even scum like you shouldn't have to die in such a gruesome way..._

Just as the chakra threads seemed to reach the soles of my father's feet, I quickly slipped my way in front of my father, nudging him back with my presence and came face to face with a rather annoyed Sasori. I laughed nervously and smiled a smile so fake, I'm sure I looked quite ridiculous. "Oh, I apologize for taking so much time to get ready, Sasori-kun, but if you and my father are done conversing, we can head out now." I grabbed his arm and bound down the steps of my front stoop, waving hastily back at my stunned father, and then round a corner of a building and jerked Sasori into an alleyway, letting him go and glaring at his seemingly innocent features.

"Are you mad? That is my father, for lack of better words, Sasori, and as sickeningly ignorant and crude as everything he says is, shinobi are under a strict code to never harm innocent civilians, no matter the reason! It's our job to protect assholes like him, regardless how infuriating he can be, not kill them because they hit a sore spot in your past!" I all but snarled out, only realizing my mistake when his eyes clouded and his face darkened. My eyes widened a fraction and I took a hesitant step in his direction, a hand outstretched, as if to offer help. "S-Sasori?.. I... I didn't mean to-"

A hand came out and slammed me against the building behind my back, knocking the air out of my lungs and causing me to gasp in shock as his hand tightened in a grip around my neck, a strangled whimper escaping my lips. His face was a mere few inches from mine, the malevolent fury and pain in his hazel eyes seemed to bore right through me as he spoke in a low, unfeeling tone, "Just shut your mouth you pathetic little girl. You know nothing of my life nor my past. In fact, I highly doubt you know anything at all from the way you splutter your meaningless words of judgment. Who made you fit to judge me or anything for that matter? I would never expect a weak, childish, annoying little pest like you to understand the way the world works. Learn this and you may be fortunate to live longer." He dropped me suddenly, my hands flying to my throat, coughs wracking my body as I sucked in the air around me greedily.

My heart was pounding and my body was trembling in fear as I did the unthinkable at that moment and flung my arms around Sasori's neck, wrapping them tightly around his frame and burying my face in his shoulder, tears prickling the corners of my eyes as I cried out, "You stupid fucking idiot! You don't have to bear the weight of every painful thing that wasn't your fault on your own! And just because I'm sheltered and as weak as they can get, doesn't mean I still don't understand what pain feels like! And even if you try to push me away and call me stupid and ignorant, I won't let go, because I don't want to see you hurt anymore! I won't disappear or die on you like they did, and I promise never to lie to you like obaa-san did! Just stop trying to shoulder it all alone, when you _do_ have somebody here for you, and only you..."

As I took a breath to continue, I stopped when I felt a pair of warm, shaking arms wrap around my torso and pull me closer. A thick, heavy breathing next to my ear as Sasori spoke in a barely audible whisper, "Thank-you..."

* * *

><p><strong>Here's the first update I owe, I apologize again for my delay, and I'll completely understand if you hate me for a while.<strong>


	15. Compassion

**If any of you noticed how my profile was updated almost daily, I was spending my time in a public library most days after work to add some bits to my updates so I could try to stay on track. Now that my computer's back on, I hopefully won't have to be sitting next to that one creepy guy you just KNOW has pictures of naked boys in his wallet. Sorry for taking up time, here's chapter 15.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Compassion<strong>

* * *

><p>After the almost astounding incident with Sasori, the time I spent trying to avoid him was minimal to none. Two months later and it was hard to find either of us anywhere other than the other's side. Apart from the obvious closeness and intense understanding of each other's feelings, the war that was hanging over Earth and Fire Country, was slowly, but surely, beginning to make its way to the heart of Suna.<p>

Things had begun to change.

What had once only been an intermediate threat had now evolved to something closer to home than I would like to believe. The plain fact that Wind Country was becoming a part of the Third Shinobi World War had begun to show itself more and more lately. More shinobi were sent out to aid allies from neighboring countries, as well as defend the forces that protected the village from the outer wall surrounding the village like a protective, impenetrable barrier. But what worried me the most was that Sasori's name had been put on the list of shinobi awaiting orders to be sent into the heat of battle along the borders of Fire Country. My name, however, had been placed on the list of shinobi to be put in the ranks of medic-nin squads, only for the foremost reason that I had proficient chakra control and a decent knowledge of medical remedies and poisonous substances.

But it was not myself I was worried about. What had been distressing my mind was the epiphany that had hit me like a blow to the head not so long ago. It had made me realize that if things went badly, I may never see Sasori again. I wasn't worried about him going out to fight, if he had to at all, because I had confidence in his abilities as a puppet master. He was nearly invincible in my eyes. No, it was not him that I was worried about; it was myself. My skills had improved a great amount over the time spent with Sasori in these past two months, but even after all the harsh training I've been through, I still wouldn't call myself a great shinobi. The only positive aspect of anything about this situation is that I had found my true calling in the shinobi world. In my time working with poisons, I discovered I had a certain knack for the practice of medicine. It had come to my attention as I was carefully evading any poison senbon directed in my direction from Sasori during training one day. I had thought about how chakra strings used to control puppets were so similar to that of the medical offensive method of chakra scalpels. I mean, they had to have originated from somewhere, right? I had never really put too much thought into it before then, and when it had come to me, it had hit like a ton of bricks.

After my discovery, I had consulted with Sasori about this and he had agreed that as well as I had done in the offensive field lately, I should attempt to see just how far I could take this new-found ability. Well, he hadn't actually said that. Hell, he hadn't even said anything. All he did was drag me to his grandmother's house and leave me in a room with her, alone, yet again, and leave to attend to his own personal matters. Which is how I ended up in the situation I am now in; helping a senile old woman mix potions in various pots and bowls while she cackles like a witch, slapping my hand with wooden spoon every time I reach for the wrong ingredient. Surprisingly though, this isn't necessarily one of the strangest predicaments I have found myself in lately. In fact, I've grown rather fond of the deranged woman wielding a wooden spoon as a weapon, all her oddities and all. No doubt comes to my mind when I think of Sasori and where he gained his extensive knowledge of herbs and poisons from; this woman, apart from her habit to hit me, is an amazing mentor.

Every afternoon, I come to Chiyo-baa-sama's lab, or dungeon as she likes to put it, to work with her on creating and contradicting various poisonous substances, while the mornings I spent training with Sasori, unless he had duties to attend to from the Kazekage, or in this case, had gone and gotten himself sick.

Now instead of training with him and then with Chiyo-baa-sama today, I was sitting in a chair next to his bed reading a medical book, glancing out of the corner of my eye now and then to see if he'd decided to stop pouting and actually talk to me. But alas, no, he _still _was laying on his side, back faced to me with the a blanket pulled over his head. Faintly, I could hear him grumbling to himself about how ridiculous this was and that he could take care of himself fine without my help. Now I'd never said he couldn't, I just figured I would keep him company while he was forced to stay in bed by his assertive obaa-san. I sighed, shutting the book in my lap and stood from my seat and pushed the chair back to the desk it had originally come from and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" I paused and looked back to see Sasori had sat up and pulled the blanket to his lap, his hair a ruffled mess and his eyes bloodshot from what I recognized as lack of sleep. His once perfect, velvet voice was now strained, but despite that, I could still tell from the way his eyebrows were furrowed, he was irritated.

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips and I chuckled softly under my breath. _Men... Even if they won't admit it, they want and need our company around to feel better... Sasori is no different..._

I turned around to fully face him, my book hugged against my chest as I gave him a gentle, warming smile and said, "Don't worry, Sasori-kun. You don't have to say a thing, I'll stay right here next to you until you feel better."

He grumbled and laid back down as I took my seat once again next to his bedside and continued reading. He dragged the blanket back over his head, only sparing a glance in my direction once, but when he did, I'm sure he was smiling faintly.

* * *

><p><strong>Here's the second chapter I owe, please still forgive me, and R and R.<strong>


	16. Momentous

**Ah, the overall pleasant feeling of updating a story that people have actually bothered to read. It does feel good though, seeing the story stats and finding that over 700 people have read this story. This is now my second most popular story, for sure. I've also, if you haven't already figured it out, made this my main focus story with the most attention. Posting every Monday sucks, because of a deadline and strain it puts on the author, but you guys are totally worth it^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Momentous<strong>

* * *

><p>I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and looked up into a pair of familiar hazel eyes. The person's breath fanned my face as they touched their forehead to mine gently, eliciting a whimper from my lips. I bit my bottom lip, squeezing my eyes shut tightly and whispered, "S-Sasori, it h-hurts..." He tilted my chin up with his index finger and thumb, making me look into his eyes once more. "Just hush... The pain will go away soon... Just try to relax and not think about it..." My eyebrows drew together as a breath caught in my throat and caused me to groan in pain and mild annoyance. "But it <em>hurts<em>!" I whined, gripping my fingers into his shoulders, wincing slightly. "Can't you make the pain go away faster? Why does this have to be so slow?" He sighed, finally giving up on trying to console me and looked behind my shoulder and down. "Obaa-san, how much longer until you pry the scorpion's stinger out of her leg? She's becoming impatient and is starting to be difficult."

Through the pain of the tweezers poking and jabbing at my skin, trying to pull what had once been one of Sasori's pet scorpion's stingers from the back of my thigh, I hissed at him, as well as the pain, through gritted teeth. "Oh shut-up, if you had a scorpion's stinger sticking out of your leg I'm sure you wouldn't be all that keen to be happy either!"

He rolled his eyes and held my arms as they gripped the material on his shoulders tightly. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling a stinging tug on the tender flesh on the back of my thigh and squeezed my eyes shut even tighter as pain laced through my leg. "There, I've removed the stinger now. Now I don't recommend sitting on scorpions, but I'd be more than happy to do this again, bwahahahaha!" She crowed teasingly as she wrapped some bandages around my leg and stood gingerly, before tossing a small bottle to Sasori, whose hand flashed out and caught it before it was within one inch of his face.

"Thank you, Obaa-san," he said quietly then looked down at me and brought the bottle up to my face so I could see that it contained a thin, pale green liquid substance. "Drink this." He stated flatly, popping off the cork and bringing it up to where I got a heavy whiff of it and almost gagged. "Augh, what is that stuff? It smells like something crawled in it and died, bleh!"

Sasori let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, giving me an impatient look. "I never said it was going to taste like honey, now drink it or I'll make you." My eyes narrowed and I attempted to take a step back, but only stumbled and flinched as pain shot up the nerves in my legs, causing me to grit my teeth. "You wouldn't da-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, I found warm, soft lips pressing harshly against mine, and a tongue prying my lips open so a bitter, suffocating liquid could spill into my mouth, causing me to almost choke on it. Sasori gripped my chin, tilting my head back so the liquid had no choice but to drain down my throat until every last drop had been slipped from his mouth to mine and had been swallowed shortly afterwards. He pulled back, licking his lips and breathing a bit heavily.

"Now was that so hard, Natsumi-chan?" He whispered, his breath fanning my face in a way that made my cheeks flare up to a color like that of a tomato.

"Maybe if you hadn't done that, I might have drank it." I grumbled, wondering how he hadn't noticed how rapidly my heart was hammering in my ribcage against his chest. Truth be told, I was merely embarrassed he had caught me off guard when I had tried so hard to correct that exact problem.

_Damn you Sasori... No matter what I do, you know you'll always be able to disarm me through my feelings..._

As if sensing my thoughts, he smirked and chuckled softly, pressing a gentle kiss to my heated forehead and whispered against my hair, "Nobody knows you as well as I do... And I intend to keep it that way for a long time..."

I sighed, deciding to forget my frustration for a while and just enjoy the soothing sound of his soft breath and the feel of his warm body holding mine, if not for the moment, then maybe a bit longer...

* * *

><p><strong>I really don't have much to say, besides here's the next chapter, R &amp; R and I'll see you next time.<strong>


	17. Genuine

**I'm just going to cut this short as to not waste any of your valuable reading time and say that after migraines and sleep deprivation, I have finally managed to catch up to where I left off. In other words, 9 chapters worth of updates *eye twitch* and I will be adding them on as soon as they are edited by my wonderful beta. I hate when things get out of hand and I can't keep up with what I dish out because of writer's block or my brother being a dumbass, and I apologize for that. But like I said, I refuse to give up on ANY of my stories, and will have them out until they are complete. So here's the next update, and the others will be up soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Bleach, thank God, because the ending made me scream bloody murder.**

* * *

><p><strong>Genuine<strong>

* * *

><p>"Chiyo-obaa-sama? When do you think they'll-"<p>

"Don't worry your pretty little head off, Natsumi-chan, they'll be back before the end of tomorrow comes."

I sighed, looking down at my feet dangling carelessly off the roof of Chiyo and her brother, Ebizou's large house. The last rays of the precious sun that kept the heart of Suna ever heated had only recently begun to descend beyond the vast sand dunes across the desert. Not too long ago, Chiyo had cut our evening training short and asked me to help her get to the top of her roof so she could see the sunset. I accepted and then had offered her the help she had asked for, only to watch in mild annoyance as she jumped carelessly to the middle of her roof and call back to me that I had gotten particularly slow these past few days.

Although I would never admit it to her, knowing how smug she could get, I knew she was right. To any person with a brain, it was as clear as crystal as to the reason behind my sudden distraction. As I had previously feared, Sasori had been assigned to and sent out to, as Sasori had put it when he told me, 'deal with some pesky vermin bringing their disease ridden problems into our country.' But in reality, it was just going out into the war and more lives would be lost because of it.

It had only been three days since Sasori's departure, but to me, these past three days seemed to drag on endlessly, almost like the suspenseful feeling of fear that had gnawed away at my insides. I had tried to push it from my mind, the very idea Sasori would get himself killed or injured was just downright preposterous.

It seemed to twinge at my heart that I had lacked faith in his sharp abilities to survive...

But none the less, that still did not calm all of my fears.

"Knowing you, Natsumi," Chiyo said softly beside me, "you have probably already figured out why I have brought you up here. I would like to talk to you." Her gaze turned to the side and fell upon my face, brightened by the sunlight as I watched the sun itself slowly move downwards. "I figured something along those lines."

She nodded in understanding and looked up to the sun as well before continuing. "These past few months have been something I know I shall never forget in my lifetime. Although I may have been unsure at first when my grandson brought you home for medical treatment, I am fully reassured now that there is no one else I would rather him have chosen than you. And I know this because you have done something I have never been able to do; you have made Sasori happy. You are a part of my family as far as I am concerned now, Natsumi, and I hope you will stick around with us as well."

Her eyes softened and a sincere smile spread over her features, causing my insides to twist with a feeling that I had never really known until I had met Sasori and his family; genuine, whole-hearted love.

"Thank-you, Chiyo-baa-sama. You have no idea how much this means t-" She raised her hand and cut me off, then gazed at me, a mischievous, somewhat serious look glinting in her eyes. "Ah, ah, I just have one condition for you first..." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and rising suspicion as I asked hesitantly, "And what would this one condition be?"

Her face broke out into a wicked, overly amused grin as she jumped to her feet and laughed, "I want lots and lots of great-grandbabies, bwahahahaha!" My cheeks covered in a deep blush as I exclaimed loudly and embarrassed, "Would you stop popping that question all the time, I think Sasori-kun and I have heard it enough, augh!" I crossed my arms and huffed, my hair slipping over my ears to hide my still somewhat red face.

And although the senile, cackling old woman couldn't see it, the corners of my mouth tugged up in a small smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Here's another, now I'm on to the next one, R &amp; R and I'll be posting new updates soon.<strong>


	18. Relief

**I've just been on a writing spree as of lately and have tried my best to catch up on everything, well, I guess I'm not catching up as I am speeding to create and perfect my chapters, with the help of my amazing Beta of course, to finally create an epic ending to this story. In fact, I wrote the last chapter awhile ago, and trust me, it's a lot longer than these short, packed chapters are. But I won't keep you from reading along, so enjoy.**

**disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Relief<strong>

* * *

><p>"You sent for me, Kazekage-sama?" I bowed my head as my eyes trailed down to my hands folded neatly in front of myself. The rustle of thick fabric and the grating sound of a wooden chair scrapping against the hard surface of the floor beneath indicated that the powerful man who had requested my presence had risen from his seat. I swallowed back the anxiety that threatened to rear its ugly head at the possibility that I had been summoned here to relay impending news. More fearfully, the news that Chiyo-baa-sama and I had a sickening dread of; the death of Sasori. So consumed in my thoughts of heart wrenching possibility, I almost didn't hear the words that allowed me to raise my head and meet the deep brown gaze of the Kazekage.<p>

"Kentarou Natsumi, correct?" The man before me asked in a heavy baritone as his hand waved me to sit in one of the three seats outlining the front of his desk. I nodded silently before settling myself down in the middle seat; lowering my eyes to my folded hands once again as the Kazekage himself took his seat. "I do realize you must be wondering why I have requested you here today. Allow me to reassure you, this meeting is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on how you look upon the situation at hand," he stated calmly, dashing my relief as quickly as it had risen it with his words.

"Pardon me for asking, Kazekage-sama, but what exactly _is _this 'situation' you speak of?" I asked hesitantly, becoming rather worried once again as he let out a sigh and raised his gaze to meet mine in silence. His eyes were hollow, devoid of all emotion apart from the barely noticeable glint of exhaustion, clearly showing the lack of a good night's rest ever since the war had made its way towards Suna. The job of sending out many capable shinobi into the heat of battle, knowing that only a handful would be coming back, was a difficult job itself, but having to relay the news to families that their loved ones would not be coming home, was even more stressful.

"This 'situation' as you so perceptively put it, has been a rather large annoyance thus far. You see, and please do not take any of this personally, our medical teams have been quite lacking as of recently. To be more specific, we only have nine operating medic-nin at hand." His eyes hardened and he stood from his chair and turned to face the window behind his desk before clearing his throat and continuing.

"Kentarou-san, we are losing this war. Even though it never had a thing to do with us until recently, we are fighting a losing battle, and I am afraid that our forces are not enough to hold off invading shinobi longer. More shinobi come back half dead than alive, and the ones that do wish only for death shortly afterwards. At this rate, there will be no one left to protect this village anymore." I swallowed and slowly arose from my seat, my head raised and my expression confused and unsure as what to make of this new information.

"Kazekage-sama, I do not see what any of this has to do wit-"

"It has everything to do with you!" He suddenly snapped, turning on his heel and slammed his palms roughly on his desk, the loud thud that followed making me flinch and bite my bottom lip nervously. "Your fellow shinobi are dying every day, more and more every minute I waste explaining this to you! If you do not understand, allow me to clarify it once again; I have made you the head of our medical department. A notification was sent to your family's home five days ago, and a response was never made. Did you think you could just slip out of the responsibilities to your village unnoticed?"

I sucked in a sharp breath, before clenching my fists and narrowing my eyes, as I firmly replied through gritted teeth, "Kazekage-sama, I have had no knowledge of this until now. Mind you, I do not live in the home of my parents; therefore, your accusations lie empty and petty to my ears. I live under the residence of the village counselors Chiyo-baa-sama and Ebizo-jii-sama as of currently, and I assure you, if I had received any notifications of which you speak, I would have responded immediately."

His eyes softened and he pulled back from his intimidating stance to a more dignified, more likely than not, rather embarrassed, posture to sit casually back into his chair. "I apologize for my earlier accusations to your person, Kentarou-san, it was heavily uncalled for on my behalf. Many shinobi have attempted to avoid their duties to their village as of recently, so the conclusion that you may have been attempting to do the same crossed my mind when the matter was brought to my attention."

I nodded, then slowly let out a breath I hadn't known I had held and raised my eyes to meet his sympathetically. "I understand these times are a strain and shinobi have been constantly trying to weasel their way out of the duties that were placed upon them when they decided to lead this sort of lifestyle, but sir, I am not like the shinobi you speak so distastefully of; I realized I could not avoid my responsibilities as soon as I found myself a formidable sensei. So about this medic-nin situation... When do you wish for me to place myself in control of these units?"

He let out a relieved sigh and relaxed his tensed posture, chuckling softly to himself. "My, you certainly are just as your recommender said you would be..." I questioningly raised a delicate eyebrow and asked softly, "And just who might this 'recommender' be?" He only smiled and lifted his warm gaze to past my shoulder, causing me to turn in confusion, my breath catching in my throat at the exact moment I caught sight of the person leaning casually in the doorway. "S-Sasori-kun..." I barely managed more than a whisper, my eyes burning with tears of relief at seeing the man I had worried and fretted over for so many days.

Sasori had an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he uncrossed his arms and stood up straight from his relaxed posture against the door, bowing his head in a respectful manner and saying, "Greetings, Kazekage-sa-" He was abruptly cut off as I all but knocked him off his feet, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and burying my face in his chest as I let the tears finally spill over.

"You stupid, stupid baka! Don't you _ever_ go away without me again!" My muffled cries softened as I felt Sasori's arms slowly close around my shaking frame and his warm breath by my ear.

"Never again..." He breathed out tenderly, glancing up to see the Kazekage giving him a knowing look, before waving his hand in dismissal.

"You can give me your team's report later, but for now, you have other things to attend to."

* * *

><p><strong>Again, so very sorry about the late update, but I've had some problems with this computer. I'm so close from a laptop though, so I'll just have to keep crossing my fingers. R &amp; R, bye for now.<strong>


	19. Author's Note

**Dear readers,**

**As much as it pains me to tell my readers of this, I will be placing all of my stories on a temporary hiatus mode. For how long, I do not know. I apologize to any disappointed followers of my stories that are patiently awaiting updates on my stories. But lately, I've gone through a rough time. I'm dealing with the bearing weight of my father's death, my mother's depression leading to an addiction to meth, and an abusive boyfriend who offers no sympathy. I wish I had it in my heart to continue writing, but my heart is so very broken now, and I know not how to mend it other than with time... Please understand my situation and hopefully, I can figure out what I should do with myself soon and will be posting again. So please accept my apology.**

**Until then, GreenStar13**


	20. Virginal

**And here's chapter 20, one of the most passionate and awkward chapters I have ever written for a story, but none the less, an enjoyable chapter. Still red in the face, by the way, haha... Bear with me that this is the first time I've ever written this sort of content, so...yeah. Enjoy the first and probably only lemon I will _ever_ write. Also, I'm going to go lone wolf of this chapter and change the point-of-view to third person, rather than my usual and preferred method of first person. It gives me, as the author, more flexibility to narrate more freely, as well as to write without feeling uncomfortable or tentative.**

_**Warning: This chapter contains mature content that should not be read by anyone under 18, however I already know that won't stop any of you underaged readers from reading it, so what the hell, here you go.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><strong>Virginal<strong>

* * *

><p>Sometimes, when the mood caught her, Natsumi found herself at her bedroom window gazing up at the shimmering moon as she relished in the glistening feel the stars' beams left upon her.<p>

Tonight, however, was not one of those nights.

When she arrived at her room after a long twelve-hour shift at the hospital training new recruits, she was on the brink of passing out. Luring thoughts of her soft bed had been the only thing keeping Natsumi awake this long, and if not for the constant sense of alertness and paranoia one suffers as a shinobi, she probably would have been easy prey for the lurking figures in the alleys she passed along the way.

"Augh, stupid, pain in the ass door, why won't you open, damn it..?" Natsumi grumbled, leaning her forehead against the door, considering falling asleep right here after four failed attempts at opening the accursed door that refused her her well-deserved rest.

"Probably because that's my room, or rather my door you're cursing at, silly girl." An amused voice stated behind her, which may have caused her to jump if not for the fact that she was well used to Sasori poking fun at her when she came home half asleep.

"I don't care, open the door so I can sleep in your room then. Mine is too far away..." Natsumi turned her half lidded eyes to give him a pointed, or rather glazed, look. Sasori chuckled and slowly wound his arms around her waist and leaned his face in next to her ear. "It's right down the hall from mine, Natsumi-chan..." He breathed softly into her ear, his fingertips caressing her sides in a soothing manner as he gently placed a kiss on her neck. Repressing the urge to shudder, Natsumi suited for leaning back against his warm chest and turned her face up to meet his as she whispered, "Like I said, it's too far away... And besides," she coyly trailed her fingers up his arm to brush his cheek and smile sweetly, "can you really refuse me?"

The corners of his mouth turned up in his famous all-knowing smirk as he leaned in to slowly brush his warm lips against Natsumi's, drawing small puffy breaths from her own, before suddenly ducking his head to the side in favour of lightly pressing his nose to her collarbone, and inhaling softly, "You're right; I can't refuse you..."

Her breath caught when she felt his lips touch her neck. If Natsumi was lethargic before, she was most certainly awake now. His breath was warm as he very softly ghosted them against her skin, not really kissing, but rather appreciating the texture of her skin against his silken lips. She tilted her head for him a little as he moved upward to the underside of her jaw. As his lips moved ever closer to her's, Natsumi turned her face to his, inviting, breath shallow with anticipation, eyes fluttering nearly closed as sky-colored orbs fixed on his mouth. "Sasori…" She sighed as his lips brushed over hers tentatively, the hair thin air between them nearly electric.

After several moments of fixated silence, Sasori pulled back and gazed at Natsumi intently, trying to gauge her reaction. "Yes..?" he asked softly, almost teasingly, as he lowered his head again until his lips hovered just above her's, waiting for an answer. "Want to…kiss you…" Natsumi breathed, already eager to reconnect to those full, soft lips against her's once more.

With a mischievous smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, Sasori answered her with a rewarding kiss, Natsumi linking her arms around his shoulders. A surge of confidence articulated between the couple, both enthusiastically exploring more of these newfound sensations. Sasori's hands moved over Natsumi's shoulders, trailed down her sides and wrapped more firmly around her waist, pressing her closer. She leaned into him with a breathy sigh and took initiative to deepen the kiss, lightly touching the tip of her tongue to his bottom lip. Sasori gave a small inhale of surprise that shifted to a sound of eager assent, and the next time she did it, he tentatively met the tap of her tongue with his own. He quickly grew bolder, as their passion grew and demanded more, and when his tongue entered her mouth fully it sent an electric jolt all the way to Natsumi's toes.

As their kiss grew more heated, their actions remained unhurried. Every brush of Sasori's lips, every glide of his tongue, every touch of his hands held a sense of discovery. It wasn't long before Natsumi found herself pressed against the thick wood of Sasori's bedroom door as he continued to ravish her lips passionately with his own. Soon, he broke away from her lips to kiss other parts of her that he'd yet to explore; trailing his mouth across her jaw and down her throat. Natsumi let out a startled gasp, that quickly turned to one of pleasure, curling her fingers into his thick mop of crimson hair and tilted her head back to give him more access. At the same time, his hands began to explore other parts of her as well, slowly caressing her upper back, the curve of her waist, the swell of her hips until they both had to pull apart, lest they go further than the other wished.

Slipping her arms from around his neck, Natsumi ran her hands over Sasori's chest, feeling hard muscle beneath her touch. Like most shinobi, Sasori had a fantastically toned body, this realization making Natsumi's face turn a shade similar to that of the redhead who placed his hands tenderly over his blushing brunette love's curved waist, amused at her boldness. Looking up from beneath her lashes, Natsumi noticed that Sasori had yet to move his hands or press on with their earlier make-out session. Faintly catching the glimmer of Sasori's natal gentlemanly nature, she realized he wasn't going to go any farther than she allowed, and was waiting for her to lead the way, if she wished to continue. Natsumi felt her heart twinge at the notion that Sasori truly understood her insecurities and would respect whatever decision she chose to make here and now.

Pushing back her nerves, Natsumi took a deep breath and cautiously slipped her hands under the hem of his shirt, feeling their way up his chest again, taking the fabric up as she went, and letting it fall to the floor with a distant rustle. She drank in the sight of his lithely muscled torso, the deep blush returning, as she closed her glassy blue eyes and began trailing open-mouthed kisses along his jaw, playfully taking his earlobe between her teeth and smiling at his sharp intake of breath, before she continued down his neck. Sasori seemed to like what she was doing very much, by the way his breath quickened and his grasp tightened on her hips. Natsumi's fingers trailed slowly over the smooth ridges of his stomach until they reached the waistband of his pants, where Sasori suddenly stilled.

"Wait..." His voice came out huskily and surprisingly forced, as one of his hands abandoned her waist to turn Natsumi's face up to look at him. His dark hazel eyes smoldered with lust, but a trace of uncertainty remained in them as well.

"W-What is it, S-Sasori..?" Natsumi murmured, her blue orbs clouded with worry she had done something undesirable to displease her handsome lover.

His response was quiet and vaguely amazed as his thumb swept under Natsumi's chin, caressing her face dazedly. "I didn't expect…Natsumi, you want to…?" He inquired, his voice holding an eager, hopeful edge to his unfinished question.

Drooping her lids to momentarily bask in his affectionate attentions, Natsumi leaned in closer to Sasori's warm frame, only stopping when she was but a breadth from his face to open her eyes. "Yes," she whispered dreamily. "I want you, Sasori...Every last bit of you from your wavy-haired red-head to your sandel-clad toes. Because you are my _everything_..."

Any response he might have given was cut off by her intense, passionate kiss. Natsumi pressed herself against him, felt the warmth of his body seep through the thin fabric of her standard medic-nin uniform, and sighed blissfully when his arms wrapped tightly around her. Sasori slipped his hands behind her to unlock his door and pushed her through onto the cushioning mattress of his waiting bed, hastily shutting and locking the door behind him.

Instinct seemed to lead him as he crawled over Natsumi's body and fingered the front of Natsumi's lab coat and slowly began to open it, button by button. His lips found her neck once more, kissing a trail across her collarbone to her shoulder as he eased the coat off with only slight hesitation. Natsumi encouraged his actions by lowering her arms and letting Sasori manuever off her simple black under-shirt to reveal her lacy, crimson red bra.

Sasori couldn't help but stare, and this caused blush to adore Natsumi's cheeks as she turned her head away, insecurity and embarrassment overcoming the lust, until Sasori gently turned her face back at his and brought her into a tender, reassuring kiss.

He slowly pushed the away the fabric over her hips until it fell away to a pool on the floor, and then he pulled back to stare some more. His thoughts were clear in his expression, and though she felt a little self-conscious at the way he studied every detail of her nearly naked body, Natsumi couldn't help but smile at his obvious approval. "Do I meet your aesthetic standards, Sasori-kun?"

"Even more so," was his husky, immediate reply. "You are by far the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on in this state. In fact, you're the only." His dark eyes slowly rose to her face, and the expression in them made her heart quiver. "Sasori…" Not knowing what else to say, she kissed him again, soft and sweet and filled with all her pent-up feelings she had held since she first met the mysterious puppet master. He reciprocated with equal tenderness, touching her face and twining his fingers into her hair as she caressed down his chest and stomach and finished opening the front of his pants. She slid them over his hips and leaned into him again, and with so little between them she could feel his arousal hard against her abdomen, causing her to blush yet again.

Sasori's hands roamed past her hips to caress her thighs as he trailed open-mouthed kisses down the plane of her chest. Natsumi twisted her fingers into his hair with one hand, raked her nails lightly down his shoulder-blade with the other.

Her eagerness emboldened him, and there was no more hesitation in his actions as he did what instinct impelled, exploring the soft curves of her body with his hands and mouth. Deft fingers unhooked the clasps of her bra without trouble, even though he'd never done such a thing before. The lacy garment fell away as he lowered her back to his bed, and Natsumi tried to look more seductive than self-conscious as he gazed upon her revealed breasts. The undisguised lust in his dark eyes aroused her as much as it made her feel more confident.

Sasori hovered over her and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. He moved to her throat again, tasting her heated skin, and when his hand found her breast Natsumi surprised herself when she instinctively arched into his palm. When he experimentally brushed the pad of his thumb over a nipple, it elicited a pleasured gasp from Natsumi that made her quickly clamp a hand over her mouth. Realizing what she had just done, she softly laughed in mirth.

Sasori paused and lifted his head slightly to raise an eyebrow at the giggling brunette beneath him. "What seems to be so amusing?" Natsumi shook her head and lowered her hand to his chest. "You...caught me off guard is all..." His lips curled into a pleased smirk when he noticed the flushed expression Natsumi wore. "Oh? You liked it?"

Blushing, she nodded, sighing in pleasure when he repeated his action to confirm her answer. Sasori then resumed his exploration, discovering all the places that made her shiver and sigh. When he trailed heated kisses over the flat valley between her breasts, Natsumi's breath would quicken noticeably, and when he was drawn by pure primal instinct to take her nipple into his mouth and run his tongue over the hardened peak, a deep, sensual moan escaped her parted lips. After paying equal attention to both breasts he kissed down her smooth stomach, pausing to dip his tongue into her naval, eliciting a giggly gasp from his lover, which brought a smile to his lips.

He toyed with the lacy edge of her panties, fingers slipping beneath and pulling down. He cast her questioning look, silently asking if it was okay. Natsumi swallowed back her hesitation and nodded in answer and lifted her hips a little to help him. Slowly, Sasori eased them down her legs, trailing his fingertips along her smooth skin as he went.

Natsumi's heart fluttered in her chest as she watched Sasori gaze upon her body in all its nakedness. The lustful look in his eyes boosted her confidence, but it didn't keep the blush from tinting her already flushed cheeks as his hands caressed feather-light over her knees and down her thighs, slowly spreading them apart.

Reaching up, Natsumi applied slight pressure to his shoulders and moved him off her. Sasori pulled away slowly, the question to her actions shining in his surprised eyes as she suddenly pounced, pushing him onto his back and hovering over him, answering his stunned look with a predatory smirk. "You never cease to amaze me, Natsumi..." Sasori groaned as she kissed and nibbled a moist trail down his chest and stomach, leaving little red marks on his pale skin. Natsumi grasped the waistband of his boxers and removed them with a few slow, gentle tugs, leaving him as naked as she was. Her eyes were automatically drawn to his exposed manhood, and widened slightly. He was large, at least larger than anything she'd personally seen before. And she'd seen more than a few, being a medic. It made her slightly nervous, but at the same time…aroused and little excited.

Releasing him, she moved her thigh across his and straddled his hips, eyes closing with a soft moan at the first full contact. Her lips brushed over his again. "I want you _now_, Sasori..."

He gave a faint nod of eager assent, and murmured softly, "I've never done this before, Natsumi-chan..."

"I know, neither have I," she whispered, a soft smile on her lips as she gazed into his eyes lovingly. "But I trust you. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Sasori whispered back instantly, his voice strained with need as he gripped Natsumi's hips tightly, helping her to align their bodies. Natsumi took a deep breath and carefully sank down upon him, very slowly, for both her's and Sasori's sake. At the first penetrating stab of sensation, intense pain and slight pleasure overwhelmed her as Sasori's head fell back and a low groan escaped him as gripped her hips almost painfully. For a long moment she didn't move, not wanting to worsen the pain, but after looking into her red-haired lover's eyes and the concern he held for her, Natsumi couldn't help but smile and push the pain to the back of her mind.

Very gingerly**(Tehe, gingers..)**, she experimentally rocked her hips forward once, then again, eventually settling into a slow rhythm. The pain ebbed away to be replaced by a deep, inner pleasure that made Natsumi squirm. Being both her's and Sasori's first time, she knew by medical knowledge that they probably wouldn't be able to last long, and based on the way Sasori seemed as if he was drowning in ecstasy beneath her and how she could already feel herself racing rapidly toward the edge, that her theory was proven correct. It seemed like no time at all before the tight coil building within her snapped. Fire lanced through her body in intense waves and she sank against him, arms on either side of his head, her brow nearly touching his as she ground out her release with a heady cry. The pulsing contractions of her orgasm sent him hurtling over the edge as well and his strong hands drove her down onto him, thrusting up into her with a guttural moan.

Natsumi collapsed against Sasori's chest, breathing just as heavily as he was, their hearts pounding together as they came down from the rush. It was a long minute before she found the strength to move her watery limbs and push herself up to look down into is face. When their eyes met, they both held a look of being utterly sated. Natsumi closed her eyes and smiled, relishing in how it was completely silent, save for their breathing.

Once they both had taken the time to calm their bodies and racing minds, Natsumi cleared her throat and spoke up. "Sasori, I-"

She was instantly silenced by Sasori's lips over her's in a passionate kiss that made her heart flutter in her chest. When he pulled back, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled a blanket over the two of them and leaned in next to her ear and whispered, "I love you..."

And with that statement, Natsumi finally felt a wholeness inside she'd yearned for her entire life.

"I love you too, Sasori...I love you too..."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't think anything can really be said at the end of this chapter other than: DAMN; I wrote this. I'm really proud, being as I was initially scared crapless about how you would react to this being my first update in forever, but sometimes you just say to hell with it, and good with your instinct. I thank my wonderful Beta for being honest with me while editing this and not being as shy as me. I really don't know what I'd do without her, haha. Please review and have a pleasant day :)<strong>


End file.
